At his trade-day meetings, Tabor hands each trade contractor a copy of their portion of the selections list, as well as a copy of the project plans. “We give them a chance to look for any potential obstacles,” Tabor says. “I don’t want anyone coming back later saying, ‘This is going to be extra.’”
These meetings serve not only as a way to refine any potential design flaws, but also to brief trade contractors on the project schedule and selections.
Once the project begins, many design/build companies hold regular meetings, attended by the client and representatives from design and production, to provide project status updates and answer any questions that may arise during construction.
As soon as a project’s final drawings are complete, Benvenuto establishes a time for his architect and project manager to meet with the client every week. “They discuss the schedule, any work done during the week, upcoming work, or remaining selections,” he says.
Pickell’s architects visit his jobsites every Friday to monitor progress and troubleshoot problems. Since he may have many jobs running at once, Pickell says his architects “choose to visit the jobs on which they can make a significant impact.”
Tabor also establishes a weekly meeting for himself, his project manager, the lead carpenter, and the client, not only to keep abreast of job status, but also as an occasion to collect a weekly payment from the client.
Before construction begins, Tabor gives clients a detailed production schedule that maps out each day’s activities over the entire course of construction. “The reason I give people this thing is because I want them to know what to expect,” he says. “Surprises aren’t pleasant in this business.”
By fine-tuning his systems and identifying a daily schedule that spans over two months ahead, Tabor seems to have all but eliminated the unexpected from his design/build process.
“People have told me we’re too expensive, and [they] then find someone else for half the price,” he says. “I make a note to call them back a year later. Most tell me that their three-month project turned into a year — and it cost exactly what I said it would.”
Not So Simple For many contractors interested in taking their companies in the direction of design/build, the selections process turns out to be much more daunting than they expected. Managing and tracking all the minutia (there may be hundreds of selections in a large remodel) can not only be time-consuming but — with a difficult or demanding client — a drawn-out, frustrating process.
That’s why John Tabor of Tabor Design-Build in Rockville, Md., keeps a design consultant on staff to facilitate selections — a process that begins as soon as the concept design is complete. The design consultant guides the process over a series of four meetings, during which general design issues are also discussed. “By [the last meeting] we’ve hopefully finalized all our selections,” Tabor says. “I don’t like to go into a job with any allowances at all.”
Inevitably, however, some of the smaller finish decisions may get pushed back. Lyn Wilkinson handles selections for Wilkinson Design & Construction. To manage selections, she uses an Excel worksheet that she shares with clients, suppliers, and the appropriate trade contractors. “Before we begin construction, they’ve made all the plumbing, electrical, and flooring choices,” she says. “Everything else [is selected] before Sheetrock.”
For clients who need extra guidance in choosing colors, molding, and trim, Jeff Petrucci of Bloomfield Construction, in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., brings in an interior designer. “I can actually mark up their time and make money off of the designer,” he says. It’s also a matter of how his time is best spent. “You’re talking about really picky architect-type decisions. I want to have control over the [products used], but I’m not going to spend five hours with someone picking out colors and molding,” he says.